PORT HURON, Mich. – A statement win! No. 9 Macomb Men's Basketball earned a 75-64 victory over the previously unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Parkland College Cobras (Ill.) on Friday (Nov. 21) in the semifinals of the SC4 Thumbcoast Tip-Off Classic. The 11-point victory marked the program's first win over the nation's top-ranked team since March 22, 2023, when the Blue & White knocked off No. 1 Davidson-Davie (N.C.) in the Elite Eight of the NJCAA Division II National Championship.
 
The Monarchs jumped out to an early 18-10 advantage before the Cobras answered with an 11-0 run to take a 21-18 lead with 7:15 remaining on the first half clock. After back-to-back defensive stops, the Monarchs came back to tie the game, 21-21, and later regain the lead, 22-21, with 5:03 left in the opening half.
 
The Monarchs never relinquished the lead from there, going on to lead by eight at the half, 39-31, and by as many as 13 in the latter stanza in the top 10 battle.
 
Caron Williams led the Monarchs with a career-high 23 points on five 3-pointers and Lajuan Holloway posted a career-high of his own with 18 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists.
 
Malachi Irving continued his strong sophomore campaign with 14 points and nine rebounds, including an emphatic dunk to put an exclamation point on the victory in the final minute of play.
 
Sophomore transfer Tabari Howard enjoyed his best game in a Macomb uniform, netting 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for the lone double-double of the contest.
 
KEY STAT: The Monarchs owned a 10-0 edge in second chance points thanks to a 10-3 advantage on the offensive glass.
 
UP NEXT: No. 9 Macomb will play their third ranked opponent in as many days when they battle No. 17 Monroe (N.Y.) for the Thumbcoast Championship at 6 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 22) in Port Huron.